NHL Commissioner chimes in on Calgary arena discussions
Posted Mar 1, 2023 7:56 pm.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was at the Saddledome Tuesday, and while his presence wasn’t a surprise, he did reveal some details about the tight-lipped arena plans.
“I would say it’s all good news from Gary Bettman that he came away with it pretty positive,” said Logan Gordon, Sportsnet 960 host.
During his visit, Bettman has spoken with both Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Mayor of Calgary Jyoti Gondek — and the conversations were constructive.
“While he wouldn’t get into specific timelines on either thing, he was pretty confident that everybody he had talked to was working in the same direction and had a very positive feel about the direction of negotiations,” Gordon said.
Meanwhile, Bettman says he gets involved in conversations about new arenas when he’s invited to do so.
Gordon adds, Bettman’s bias towards the Flames adds a sort of diplomatic approach to the conversation.
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“He understands the impact of his words, and he doesn’t want to say anything out of place, so he’s very conservative with what he says in any estimation. But I would say as far as his actual opinions on the arena, they’re probably as positive as we’re heard from Bettman in a long time,” Gordon said.
The province has confirmed a conversation with Bettman took place in January, and Gondek says she appreciates that he took the time to speak with those involved.
“Gary Bettman has the ability to play ‘good cop’ to Calgary Sports and Entertainment’s bad cop and that’s not unique to Calgary, that is what he does when he goes to every city,” said Moshe Lander, economics Professor, at Concordia University.
The location of the new arena is still up in the air, but the Calgary Stampede says they’ve remained enthusiastic about the future of the culture and entertainment district, and continue to support the construction of an event centre within the area.
The City of Calgary’s event centre planning committee is set to meet this month.
